


A Word From Our Sponsors

by aroceu



Category: Best Song Ever - One Direction (Music Video), Little Mix (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2013-07-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 08:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/898266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aroceu/pseuds/aroceu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Veronica covers the speaker. “Inter-office romance drama,” she says. “As the only person who knows and cares enough to keep it under wraps, I have to take care of it.”</p><p>“I’ll start on dinner,” says Perrie. She pulls on a pair of short black shorts and then hops downstairs, still only in her bra.</p><p>Veronica sighs wistfully.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Word From Our Sponsors

Veronica comes home at five in the afternoon. Perrie’s got her feet on the coffee table and nail polish in her right hand, and glances up as Veronica drops her bag onto a nearby chair.

“You look tired,” Perrie says to her.

Veronica falls onto the couch, next to her. She looks up at Perrie through her eyelashes, and Perrie blinks for a moment before going back to her toenails.

“I am tired,” Veronica mumbles, and then buries her face in Perrie’s sleeve. “Hold me?”

“You know I’m busy right now,” Perrie says with a slight smile.

Veronica’s grumbling and winding her arms around Perrie’s middle, now. “You’re not as busy as you are when you’re on tour,” she says. “With your _girl band_.”

She watches; Perrie seems to be trying to focus, but Veronica’s grip is probably straining her from being able to lean forward and apply her polish properly. Probably.

“The other girls are sexy, but I’m not going to cheat on you, love.” Perrie attempts to brush her second toe. Ah, she’s got it. Veronica’s impressed, though she supposes that being with someone as clingy as herself, Perrie would learn to adapt to it.

But Perrie adapts quickly, and gets along with nearly everyone. And Veronica loves the other girls, but Perrie--

“I just want you all to myself,” she says, not letting her girlfriend go.

Perrie pats her fingers. She never forces Veronica off and Veronica loves her for that. “You’ve got me,” she says.

***

Veronica’s the assistant of a movie management company, and she supposes it’s well off enough. Sometimes Harvey and Jonny stare at her too long and whisper to one another, but they’re also good fun and polite enough, and hilarious when drunk. Marcel and Leeroy are adorable too, and during her first week on the job Marcel had stuttered whenever she was in the room and Veronica thought she might have to be worried about a coworker having a crush on her; but then she accidentally opened what she thought to be an office but was actually a janitor’s closet, and caught Marcel and Leeroy in a rather compromising position.

Marcel still stutters when she’s around, but moreso and now with an actual _reason_. Veronica comes in the next day at nine am--like always--and Marcel’s fussing around, cleaning up her desk.

“Oh--oh hi, Veronica,” he says. It’d taken him three weeks to start to refer to her by her name.

“Hi,” she says cheerfully. Perrie has the rest of the week off before she has to fly back to Europe to be with her band. She’d woken up Veronica with a kiss and then they’d fucked, leaving Veronica unwound and relaxed for most of the day.

“You’re cleaning out all the desks?”

“Yeah,” says Marcel. “Big shot band coming in today, we’re making a movie for them, it--” He tries to close a drawer, but it toppels out and papers go flying everywhere. “Oh, bonkers,” Marcel says, looking upset and putting his hands on his hips.

Veronica pats his shoulder. “I’ll take care of this,” she says. “What band?”

“Some--boy band, the Direction or something,” says Marcel. “Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh. What if they don’t like my ideas?” He puts a hand to his forehead. “Oh gosh, I’m not ready for this--”

“Why don’t you go to Leeroy to calm you down?” Veronica teases.

Marcel goes bright red behind his big glasses. “I can’t,” he says, instead. “Leeroy’s preparing choreography for them, too. We’re all sort of busy, everyone downstairs is coming up with backup pitchable ideas, but--”

“It’ll be fine,” says Veronica, plucking up the last spilled paper and tumbling them all into the drawer. “You’re charming, yeah?” Marcel is toeing at the carpet and Veronica doesn’t really mean it, but anything to make him feel better. “Smile, and put on your game face. You can do this!”

“I can do this,” Marcel mumbles to himself. Then: “I can do this!” He smiles at himself, then at Veronica. “I can do this!” he says again, and flees into his office.

Veronica chuckles and shakes her head.

***

The band is named One Direction and they destroy their entire building. The One With the Hair tries to flirt with her--well, they all do--and Veronica goes home with bits of paperclip and sticky notes in her long black hair.

“Ugh,” she says, opening the door to her home.

Perrie’s standing there in the kitchen, making something that smells delightful. Veronica forgoes untangling a paperclip from one of her bangs to admire Perrie’s backside.

“Oh, you’re home!” Perrie turns around and Veronica returns to the paperclip.

“Yeah,” she mutters, as Perrie rushes over to her.

“What happened?”

“Boy band came in. The guys were supposed to help them find an image for their movie, but--” Veronica winces as she pulls on the wrong part of the paperclip. It’s hard to see with all this hair.

“Let me help,” says Perrie, and then her fingers overtake Veronica’s.

Veronica sits down on a stool and sighs. “They basically wrecked the entire building,” she continues. “I mean, they were cute, but. Wrecked the entire building.”

“Mm.” Perrie pulls the paperclip out from her hair.

“Thanks,” says Veronica, and kisses her lightly on the lips.

Perrie kisses back. “What band?” she asks, when she pulls back.

“They’re called One Direction.” Veronica doesn’t want to talk about this right now. She wraps her arms around Perrie’s waist and kisses her lightly on the chin.

“Oh, I know them! They were on the X-Factor before us,” Perrie says, and Veronica kisses the bridge of her nose. “I’ve met them once or twice. Zayn’s really taken a liking to me.”

“ _I_ really take a liking to you.” Veronica pouts and stands up, hoisting Perrie’s legs around her hips.

Perrie giggles and kisses her upper lip, and then properly on the mouth. Veronica stands for the both of them, as they kiss for a bit, until Perrie whispers against her teeth, “Why don't we move somewhere before your arms fall off? And as sexy as you look in that blouse and skirt, I think you’d look better with it off.”

“Ideal,” Veronica agrees, and carries them to her bedroom.

*

Perrie met Veronica on one of Little Mix’s tours to America. Being a casual fan was one thing, but Veronica had connections to the celebrity industry anyway; it was less luck and more convenient timing and placement that they happened to be invited and attended one certain Hollywood party.

Jonny and Harvey had gotten drunk and stripped off their clothes and dived in the hot tub, so no one went in there for the rest of the evening. Veronica had stood off to the side with a glass of wine in her hand; she’d been there for appearances, and to look out for her coworkers.

Leeroy and Marcel seemed pretty busy in the otherwise empty billiards room. After ensuring that the doors were locked and walls soundproof enough, Veronica had wandered into the ballroom where most of the guests were, and Perrie and her band were playing acoustically in the corner.

They’d been covering an Adele song Veronica couldn’t quite remember the name to, but she could remember that Perrie’s voice had been powerful and lovely and _wow_ , and when they were done Veronica went up to her and said, “You girls sounded great.”

“Yeah?”

Jade and Jesy and Leigh Anne were talking, but maybe they’d noticed Veronica wanting to approach Perrie earlier.

“Yeah,” Veronica had said. “Better than your concert earlier today.”

“Oh?” Perrie had gone on, but Veronica quickly rushed to correct herself--

“Not that I mean--you sound lovely, like, all the time, but I mean I can hear your voice better now, so--you still sounded great at the concert, and--I’ve been drinking a lot of wine.”

Veronica indicated her glass and then felt her cheeks warm. This was so _dumb_ , she usually had so much poise at work and at home and with her family and everyone.

“It’s the wine, it’s definitely the wine,” she said again.

Perrie looked at her for a moment, and then giggled and said, “Yes, the wine, sure.” Veronica liked her accent, especially since now Perrie was talking to her than interjecting single-syllable interrogatives.

“Do you want some?” Veronica offered. “I mean, I’m not one of the hostesses, but I’m usually used to getting things for people--”

“Perrie, are we starting the next song?” Jesy asked, pulling her aside.

Veronica had assumed then that Perrie would pretend she’d never had that conversation because what was Veronica but, well, herself anyway? Perrie had an audience to entertain and three other girls to sing with (and that guitar player in the corner), so.

But Perrie said, to Veronica, with a little smile that looked like a promise, “Yeah, I’ll have some wine.”

***

So after Little Mix’s small live performance Veronica and Perrie had talked, and exchanged numbers, and text messages turned into phone calls and phone calls turned into dates because California was a big state and Hollywood was a figurative big place so Perrie was staying here for a while.

Dates turned into _actual dates_ and sometimes Veronica couldn’t believe it, because she’d met Brad Pitt and Leona Lewis in person before but she was going on _dates_ with Perrie Edwards from Little Mix.

And sure, they had to keep things under wraps, but it was worth the small hand holds under tables and kisses in secluded alleyways.

And then it turned into _We have to go back on tour_ and _definitely will keep in touch with you_ ’s, and _I’ll see you next tour_ and _whenever we have breaks and vacations_ , and _what about your family_ and _you don’t have to continue to see me if you don’t want to_ , and _Veronica, I definitely still want to see you, I want to when I can_.

And then _okay_ s and _see you next time_ s and opening her front door several times a year to Perrie on her front porch, with the brightest smile on her face.

***

Perrie’s got a hand tangled in Veronica’s long hair as Veronica kisses down her chin, then her neck, to the scoop of her collarbone. Perrie’s hair has cute little pink streaks in it and Veronica traces a finger through them, before returning her attention to her mouth, which is resting right above Perrie’s breasts. Perrie twirls Veronica’s hair and lets out little gasps as Veronica’s lips flutter across her bra, closing over a nipple while her other hand cups the swell of Perrie’s other breast.

It’s the afternoon and Veronica doesn’t think she’ll ever tire of this, sex after a long day of work. It’s better because she’s not as exhausted she’d been yesterday, and Perrie arches into her and Veronica can feel her shoulders, and every inch of her back.

She’s got her fingers at the clasp of Perrie’s bra when her cellphone suddenly rings, and, cursing, she loses her fingerwork and falls into Perrie’s chest. Perrie giggles, but says, “You should probably get that.”

“I don’t want to get it,” says Veronica, muffled by Perrie’s--well, Perrie. “Telemarketers.”

“It could be something work-related,” says Perrie.

“Even worse.”

“You’re head’s in my tits.” Perrie sounds amused.

“I’d rather not have it anywhere else,” Veronica says, but sighs and finally brings her head up. She grabs at her cellphone. “Hello?”

“V-Veronica?”

Marcel sounds like he’s in shambles; Veronica sits up right away. Perrie’s face looks worried and Veronica wants to kiss the expression right off.

“What’s wrong?” she says into her phone, instead.

“Le-Leeroy--” Marcel hiccups. “Leeroy’s not picking up his phone, he _always_ picks up his phone, right after one and a half rings, and I _always_ invite him to my place after work, and--”

“Shh, sh, hold on,” says Veronica.

Perrie’s looking at her with those big blue eyes and it is so, so hard for Veronica not to get distracted from the issue at hand right now. “What is it?”

Veronica covers the speaker. “Inter-office romance drama,” she says. “As the only person who knows and cares enough to keep it under wraps, I have to take care of it.”

“I’ll start on dinner,” says Perrie. She pulls on a pair of short black shorts and then hops downstairs, still only in her bra.

Veronica sighs wistfully.

“Okay, I’m here,” she says back into the phone.

“ _Veronica_ ,” Marcel wails.

***

Veronica tries Leeroy’s cellphone, too, but he doesn’t pick up for her, either. She endures the whole afternoon and evening and late night as Marcel rattles off all the possibilities for why Leeroy won’t pick up, like maybe he’s gotten into an accident and oh god someone should go to his place we should file a missing persons report or--

“I’m sure if that’s happened, someone would’ve taken care of it already and we would’ve gotten a call,” Veronica says, as she and Perrie eat pasta for dinner.

Perrie looks like she’s trying so hard not to laugh at Marcel, but it really doesn’t work.

“He just needs someone to talk to, that’s all,” Veronica whispers before bringing her in for a quick kiss.

Perrie tastes like lemons and oregano sauce and Veronica wants to kiss it all off her until Perrie tastes like nothing except just _Perrie_ again. Five minutes into their kiss, Marcel’s voice comes louder than before:

“Perrie, are you still there?”

The next morning, Veronica wakes up, feeling disgruntled from the lack of sex last night. She glances over to Perrie in bed next to her; Perrie looks gorgeous with her blond and pink hair splayed out everywhere. Veronica almost wants to wake her up for a quick morning fuck.

Of course, she doesn’t, because Perrie had stayed up late last night in place for her, pretending to be Veronica to Marcel over the phone, and making small sounds of agreement at the right time while Veronica slept enough for another eight hours at work.

Marcel doesn’t look incredibly tired when Veronica comes in; small shadows under his eyes, but with enough energy as always. Or at least, with the energy he usually puts in to marketing.

“V-Veronica!” he says, when she walks into the office. “Did you see Leeroy on your way?”

“No, sorry,” Veronica says.

Marcel puts his chin in his hands. His glasses are slightly crooked and Veronica adjusts them for him.

“Thanks,” he says, as Veronica goes behind her desk. “I just--I don’t _get_ it. Leeroy’s usually here by now, isn’t he?”

“Did you ask Harvey or Jonny if they knew anything?”

“Do you think they would?” Marcel grumbles.

Veronica tilts her head. “Fair point.”

They go about their day regularly, Marcel doing his idea pitching like nothing’s wrong, and Veronica bringing in snacks and anything else when asked for. They have a lunch break but everyone in the office is too bogged down for that; in the early afternoon, Veronica decides that she needs a smoke break.

“Come with?” she asks Marcel, who looks hesitant but nods.

She leads them behind the building. She doesn’t smoke much, usually, because even though Perrie will never admit to enjoying the taste on her mouth (Veronica knows she does), she doesn’t necessarily approve of the habit and Veronica respects that. Still, Marcel’s stressing her out, and Veronica feels like she might have a knot in her back from when those One Direction boys had invaded the office.

“Men,” she mutters.

Marcel sighs and slumps next to the building. “Do you think he just left town and left everything because he wants to leave me?” he says, voice higher than usual.

He better not cry. “I doubt it,” Veronica says, taking a drag. “Way too much work to break up with someone.”

Marcel looks up at her with these big kitty-like eyes. “Do you have someone special, Veronica?”

Veronica responds, “Yeah,” without thinking, and then takes another long drag. Perrie.

She finds that she doesn’t have a knot in her back, after all.

“Someone special,” she murmurs to herself.

Marcel takes a long look at her cigarette. “Can--Can I try?”

“Sure.” Veronica tosses him a second cigarette and Marcel tries to catch it--it falls to the ground and Marcel squawks out an apology. “It’s okay,” Veronica says, and hands him another one.

“What do I--” Marcel starts, but Veronica stuffs it in his mouth and then lights it for him. Marcel inhales too quickly too soon, and takes the cigarette out, coughing profusely.

“Gosh,” he says, voice raspy.

“Try it again,” Veronica says, and Marcel does and makes the same mistake.

“Oh stars, oh rats,” he says, spitting it out this time. “I’m not--golly, Veronica, how do you do that? It’s disgusting.”

“You’re not--you’re supposed to--” Veronica sighs. “Never mind.”

“Isn’t smoking supposed to make you feel better? I don’t feel better,” says Marcel, and crinkles his nose. “Especially my lungs.”

“That’s because you didn’t--you--”

Veronica gives up on Marcel completely.

“You’ll still help me with Leeroy, right?”

“Yeah,” says Veronica with another resigned sigh.

***

Marcel says that after work, he’s going to go home and take a long shower and then eat a lot of chocolate and cry himself to sleep. Veronica doesn’t doubt any of this.

At least it promises her a quiet evening alone with her girlfriend. “Helllllloooooooooo,” she says, entering her apartment. “I am back!”

“Thank god, America’s Next Top Model was starting to get boring.” Perrie runs in from the living room and tackles her.

Veronica giggles as Perrie kisses her cheeks and her forehead around her glasses. She tries to kiss Veronica’s eyelids, too, but Veronica’s glasses clack against her face. “That’s the best show ever, though,” she says, through Perrie’s kisses.

“It starts to wane at the fourth hour,” says Perrie.

“I’m not sure you used that verb right,” says Veronica, and Perrie says, “Hush,” and hushes her with an open-mouthed kiss.

They kiss like that on the ground for a while, until Veronica says against her lips, “This carpet really burns.” She’s not really sure if she’s so much said it than mouthing the words in place of a kiss, though, but Perrie does get up on her elbows to give her a little wiggle room.

“What about,” Veronica says, after what must’ve been a half an hour at the least, “dinner?”

“Dinner can wait,” says Perrie, just as Veronica’s stomach rumbles.

Veronica grins up at her. “My body says otherwise,” she says.

“Your body says a lot of things.” Perrie kisses her knee.

“My body can say more after dinner,” says Veronica. “A lot more. Naked. That okay?”

Perrie looks contemplative, but Veronica can tell that she’s sold. “Alright,” she says. “But we’ll be bringing dessert upstairs.”

“I’m okay with that.” Veronica smirks.

***

Marcel calls when Veronica’s got whipped cream in various amounts of places and Perrie’s doing the business of licking it all off of her.

“Leeroy finally called!” he says, and he sounds excited.

“Great!” Veronica’s gasping--Perrie’s in between her legs, mouthing at the whipped cream delicately and not bothering to stop even though Veronica’s on the phone.

“You won’t believe--”

“This isn’t exactly the time,” Veronica says. “I’ll--see you at work tomorrow, okay?”

She hangs up without waiting for an answer. Perrie’s tongue goes deep and flicks and Veronica threads her fingers through Perrie’s pink and blond hair.

***

“Still so stupid,” Leeroy’s saying, when Veronica walks into Marcel’s office, where he and Leeroy usually do their boy stuff ever since Marcel got promoted last month.

Leeroy kisses Marcel on the nose and Veronica can’t help but think about how she’d done the same to Perrie this morning.

“So what happened?” she asks them.

Marcel giggles and hides behind his glasses and Leeroy’s shoulder. Leeroy rolls his eyes and tucks a strand of blond hair back into his pink headband.

“I was visiting my family for a couple of days back in England. _And_ I told Marcel here that my flight would leave on Wednesday and I’d call him at night once I’ve landed, but apparently he wasted his phone batteries during the day and fell asleep early without charging it.”

“Oops,” Marcel says into Leeroy’s shoulder.

“You’re ridiculous and this is the last time I’m ever helping you with a problem again,” says Veronica, but she’s smiling.

The door opens and Harvey pops his head in, saying, “Leeroy, Missy Elliot’s looking for you! Are you doing their next video or not?”

Marcel squeaks and tries to hide behind him, again; Leeroy stutters, “Uh--uh--”; and Veronica starts, “I can explain--”

“Explain? Explain what?” Harvey stares at the three of them, then barks out a laugh. “Oh, this? You kids can do whatever you want! Why, I had a phase too, back when I was your age! Now it’s just me and the old pillow.” He gestures wildly. “Just don’t stain any important papers.”

He leaves, and Leeroy and Veronica breathe out a sigh of relief.

Marcel’s face is bright red in Leeroy’s sweater.

“Golly,” he mutters.

***

Perrie has to leave that evening, so Veronica tries to come home as soon as she can even though she’s not exactly looking forward to it. Perrie’s packing her things, like strewn clothes in the kitchen and living room, and the toothbrush in Veronica’s sink.

“I’m going to miss you,” says Veronica, joining her in the bathroom and wrapping her arms around Perrie’s chest.

Perrie nuzzles into her. “You know I will, too.”

“Text me whenever you can.” Veronica had gotten international texting just because of this.

She kisses Perrie’s neck and Perrie says, “You know we can’t do this now, I have to leave for the airport in forty minutes.” Veronica kisses her again, this time on the shoulder.

“So twenty minutes of this, and twenty minutes of calling a cab and checking in and printing your ticket out.” Her lips go to Perrie’s hairline. “Plenty of time.”

“ _Veronica_ ,” Perrie says, turning around.

Veronica kisses her mouth.

“You’re too reasonable,” Perrie grumbles, kissing her back.

Veronica tucks a pink streak behind Perrie’s ear. She whispers, grinning, “And you’re too lovely.”


End file.
